By 1808Delaware
The Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission have released the final U.S. 23/I-71 Connector Feasibility Study, identifying an 18.2-mile preferred route between U.S. 23 north of Waldo and Interstate 71 south of State Route 521. The report, submitted in response to a directive in House Bill 54, also includes preliminary construction costs, traffic forecasts and tolling estimates for the potential highway.
The recommended corridor would include an interchange with U.S. 42 north of Ashley. Click here to access the study.
A Route Emerges
The study was ordered by the Ohio General Assembly through House Bill 54, the state’s most recent transportation budget. The legislation directed ODOT and the Turnpike Commission to work together to identify the most feasible connection between U.S. 23 and I-71 and to submit their findings by October 1, 2026. Over the course of the study, officials examined multiple possible alignments while considering traffic patterns, environmental impacts, property impacts, engineering challenges, cost, and public feedback.
Stakeholder meetings were held in October 2025 and February and July 2026. ODOT also conducted two rounds of six public meetings in Delaware, Marion, and Morrow counties during March and August. Approximately 3,000 comments were submitted through those meetings, online, and by mail.
“This report represents a robust evaluation of different alternatives for a connection between U.S. 23 and I-71,” ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said. She said the agency heard both support for the potential highway and concerns about its effects on surrounding communities.
A Project Approaching $1 Billion
If construction were to begin in 2035, the study estimates the connector itself and related improvements could cost between $857 million and $1.2 billion. The final amount would depend in part on how much additional work would be required along I-71. Even at that price, the study concluded that anticipated benefits, including shorter travel times and safety improvements, would outweigh projected costs.
Traffic estimates also show that whether the road is tolled could have a major effect on how heavily it is used. By 2055, the proposed connector is projected to carry about 21,900 vehicles per day if motorists can use it without paying a toll. Under a tolled scenario, projected traffic falls to approximately 8,500 vehicles per day.
Minutes Saved on a Columbus-Toledo Trip
One of the project’s primary goals is improving travel between the Columbus and Toledo areas. Under the study’s assumptions, travel between I-475 near Toledo and I-270 around Columbus could be reduced by about six minutes during free-flow conditions. During the morning peak period, the savings could reach approximately 22 minutes.
Those estimates assume existing conditions along U.S. 23 and the addition of another travel lane in each direction on I-71.
The proposed connector could also shift some through traffic away from communities along U.S. 23 while providing another regional link for Delaware, Marion, and Morrow counties.
Still Years From Construction
Despite the completion of the feasibility study, construction is far from certain. Additional funding would first have to be identified before ODOT could move the proposal into its formal project development process.
That process would include review under Federal Highway Administration requirements, approval through Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory Council, environmental clearance under the National Environmental Policy Act, preliminary engineering, additional public involvement, final engineering, property acquisition, utility relocation, and eventually bidding and construction. Each of those steps could influence the route, design, cost, or even whether the project moves forward. For now, there is no construction schedule.
What the final study does provide is a defined corridor and a much clearer framework for the next debate over whether the U.S. 23/I-71 connector should advance into formal development.
